Follow Amy

You tail Amy through the streets of Moscow, she passes through tight alleys and busy streets. You try your best to stay out of sight, but Carmine turned you into a hulk of a man – you’re a head taller than everyone else in the city. You keep a low profile and make sure that she doesn’t spot you.

The chase comes to an end as she turns and enters a small café. You wait a minute before slipping in behind her. It’s cramped. If you follow her out of here, there’s no way she won’t spot you. You take a seat at the table next to her and wait. She’s here to meet someone. It takes five minutes for her date to arrive, a young man in a suit.

He sits across from her and orders a drink from the waiter. He comes over to your table and you use your rudimentary Russian skills to order a beer. You pull out your phone and begin to play with it, at least that’s what it looks like to an outside observer. Your phone has a backdoor installed that records everything that happens around you on it – perfect for **** and insurance.

“Why did you drag me down here?” the woman asks. “Wouldn’t you prefer to do it somewhere else?”

The man has a heavy Russian accent, “The men in charge like plausible deniability. Not to mention that we are going over a lot of people’s heads with this joint operation.”

“You mean the big man?”

“Yes. He is not fond of the idea of working with the CIA.”

“And MI6?”

“Slightly less so. However our commanding officer sees it as a realistic option. Do not worry, I come here often. Nobody will talk,” They’re quiet, really quiet. Hushed tones designed to fade away into the background of a busy tourist attraction. You struggle to pick up on everything they say.

“Paranoia got me this far.”

“I know. You are one of the most talented women from any western intelligence organization. I’ve heard many a tale of your exploits.”

“They consider it a vote of confidence.”

“How much do you know about them?”

“Not much. We have their faces, blurry faces, but faces. We know some of their shell businesses and what they deal in. They’ve been flipping us the bird for years now, but people are getting worried that they’re becoming more active.”

“…The body?”

“Don’t quote me on that. But yes, there was another set of prints on his gun. Somebody shot him. It was hell and a half getting his body back, from what I heard.”

“The Indians equal us in paranoia, they do not want western intelligence making trouble in their country.”

“Who does? That’s why we keep it a secret. The real problem is that we don’t know what they want. Anybody trying to make money fast would have cashed out by now, and if they did – we wouldn’t be able to stop them.”

“Do you have a file?”

Amy pulls a beige folder out of her jacket and slides it across the table, “Carmine Carson. Prime suspect. IQ of five-hundred, PHD in just about every damn subject every invented.”

“Is that a joke?” he scowls.

“No. I don’t joke. We live in extraordinary times. Carson has been underground for nearly four years; her shell businesses have been snapping up property in just about every country in the world. She’s well off, she made a series of killer investments before flouting the law. She has more money than she knows what to do with.”

“Insider trading?”

“No. She’s just that good. Call it luck. Right place right time. And you know how the rich and famous operate, that money insulates them. She can only fall up from here. Throw more and more money at a problem until it goes away. Aside from that, we know nothing.”

You whisper to Leah, “You catching all this?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect. We know everything.”

Amy stands from the table, “That’s all I’ve been given. The boss wants to know if you’re in or not, you can reach him in the usual places.”

The Russian joins her, “Okay. I will contact him immediately with our answer. I need to report this intelligence.” He pays his tab at the bar and quickly exits the store.

“Jeeze, these Russian are so impersonal.”

She waits five more minutes before checking her watch and moving to the door, “Do you have eyes on her?”

“We’ve got her. You can give her some space. Chun is on her.”

You polish off your beer and pay the bartender before slipping out into the cold, you need to catch up with them and complete the smash and grab.